Bad Idea
by Miss Maia
Summary: Summary: It didn't sound like a bad idea. A trip to Four to do some climbing? Sure Peeta was in. Who said a sedentary baker couldn't climb a thirty feet wall? But honestly, he'd do anything anywhere to be close to his girlfriend. Modern Day AU.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own the _Hunger Games_ trilogy; this is just an attempt at fun by playing with someone else's toys.

**Summary: **_It didn't sound like a bad idea. A trip to Four to do some climbing? Sure Peeta was in. Who said a sedentary baker couldn't climb a thirty feet wall? But honestly, he'd do anything anywhere to be close to his girlfriend. Modern Day AU._

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**Bad Idea**

It didn't sound like a bad idea. Katniss had entered the bakery with that shy smile she always wears when she wants to ask something. Peeta greeted her, already waiting for a difficult request. But she just wanted to invite him to go to District Four to do some climbing; it was actually Johanna's idea. It didn't sound bad at all.

Peeta would have accepted any request from her, astonished by the five months relationship they were sharing. He'd invent any excuse to stay close to Katniss, and a trip to one of the most beautiful Districts of Panem? Of course he said yes, though the rational part of his brain knew better. He knew what to expect... But he couldn't think of any reason not to go.

Now he could.

Peeta's hand slipped from the red rock as he tried to keep his balance. He definitely wasn't made for these kind of things: hiking, climbing, canoeing... Days like today were something new for him, like many other events in his relationship with Katniss. He took a deep breath and adjusted the rope tied around his waist – maybe for the fourth time since they started to climb the small rock wall. That is, "small" in Johanna's words, because for him it looked pretty huge. But again, he was not used to this adventurous stuff; his definition of an adventure before meeting Katniss was to test a new recipe.

Five months at her side had changed his view of a challenge. At first she seemed a perfect match for him; such a sensible girl, not into dangerous activities. After all, they had met in a photography conference, and the photos she was showing were from flowers, calm and quiet flowers. He would know that the actual photographer of the family was her sister, but that first coffee they shared gave the impression of a very calm, steady, and relaxed girl; that idea flew away at her invitation, in their first month of dating, to go to the archery club.

"Archery club?" he had asked half laughing, still enjoying his pepperoni pizza as the woman in front of him was suggesting what they could do in the weekend.

"Yeah," she said casually enough to scare him "it's fun; you'll like it."

A sore thumb and a hurt child later – nothing major; Peeta's arrow was at a very low speed – and Peeta knew he had only two choices: run from this crazy girl or stay with her forever.

The week after the archery incident, Katniss suggested bungee jumping. Prim promised to delete the photo that showed Peeta crying before taking the leap.

He forced a smile when Katniss looked down at him; he was the last one in the line to climb the wall – just a precaution if he fell , which had almost happened two times.

"You okay?" she asked as she pressed her feet harder against the rock, which led to small pebbles to fall on Peeta's sweat soaked hair.

"Yeah!" He couldn't express a more elaborated phrase; his heart was beating too fast for it.

She always did that to him; always made him do things he'd never do with anyone else. And to be completely honest, he was even starting to enjoy those moments of complete vulnerability at her side. He felt safe around her, even if he was climbing a thirty feet wall, jumping from a bridge tied to a too-thin rope, canoeing in rivers known to have alligators (though she just mentioned the alligators when they were ashore again); even living the most dangerous moments of his life, he felt he was in the safest place he could ever be. He wanted her to feel the same, to give her this certainty. He still wasn't sure, but by the way she sometimes looked at him while he was baking or painting, showed that, maybe, she felt safe with him too. Heights, savage animals, dark woods, nothing like that could scare Katniss; but relationships... That was what freaked her out. He wanted her to feel safe enough to really trust him... And maybe something else.

He was not the only one entering in a completely new world. Katniss was also experiencing new challenges in this relationship. Though for her, the worst battles happened in her mind: dealing with the fact that she could be loved, could be courted, without having to necessarily show perfection. And of course, when Peeta tried to teach her how to make homemade brownies, it just ended up okay, because Boggs, the fireman, was very understanding. He soon realized that Katniss' neighbor had called the fireman in a hurry, and that all the smoke coming out her apartment was well controlled in the oven. Burned brownies and a maturing heart: Katniss was growing out of the selfishness.

Peeta's right leg was quivering, but he was determined to finish the climb. A triumphant shout above him sounded like Johanna was already at the top. It was obvious that Katniss was going slow to help him, but he couldn't catch up. They had walked three miles to get to the rock wall, and just from that Peeta was already breathless. But he was also stubborn and answered without hesitation when Katniss asked if he was ready to climb. But now, as his bad leg was almost giving up on him, he was starting to think if all of this wasn't a good idea.

"Just six feet and we're there," her kind voice called from above. It was like she could read him; or she could just see how deep red his face was, and Peeta only had the strength to nod before reaching for the next metal pin to tie his rope. The best answer he could give was, "Thank God!" He concentrated all his effort to finish the climb, and hoped not to have a heart attack as Johanna's strong arms pulled him up to the top of the wall.

"You're so lazy," she mumbled as pulling him up, his body making a thud when he stumbled over the plain rock.

"You okay?"

He didn't realize his eyes were closed until Katniss touched his face, brushing his sweat bangs behind his ears. "Was it too much?"

"Nah, I'm fine," Peeta answered in a hoarse voice, feeling her cold palm against his hot face. "Never been better." Katniss laughed at his breathless voice.

"I promise you a nice massage when we get back." She winked at him before kissing his cheek, a sweet gesture that made Johanna snort.

"For God sake, I knew I should have come alone," the pixie-haired woman said. "I'm going to look for some good spot for the descent."

"Descent?" Peeta still didn't know why, but his heart escaped a beat at that word; he should have asked how they would go back.

"Rappel, Peeta." Johanna's smirk was mischievous, and Peeta knew that going back down would be as hard as it was climbing up. Johanna was one of Katniss best – and few – friends. He needed to be in good terms with her if he wanted his relationship to work. The face he made at her comment led Katniss suppress a smile.

"Don't worry; it's easier to go down." She kissed his cheek again as he managed to sit up. "I'm going to take some pictures. The view here is amazing... And maybe I can focus on that boat over there."

Peeta smiled as she leaned on the rock to have a better view. She had taken off the climbing equipment while Johanna was struggling to pull him up. Katniss was beautiful; her dark braid modeling her shoulder and neck, her womanly curves carefully drew under her clothes, her pink sweater escaping from under the coat... If Peeta wanted to take a picture, it would be hers, in this exact position. It was winter, and even in the hot West Coast, one needed at least a jacket to protect oneself from the wind. And he thought it was a lovely personal touch the black hat she was wearing; an attempt to contain the rebellious bangs escaping from her braid. She had borrowed Prim's camera and was focusing on a white boat crossing the bay that surrounded District Four's National Park. As Peeta sat there, entirely sweaty from the climbing, internally dreading the moment he would have to decent this rock, watching his girlfriend so focused in taking a picture her sister would like, he knew it. He had already made his choice.

His eyes traveled over her body, from her boots to her hat, stopping for an extra moment at her hips and, well, ass. He was a man after all.

You know what? Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea.

"I'm going first. You love birds can use the same rope later." Johanna's voice pulled him back to reality.

"So soon?" Katniss deviated her attention from the camera to look up at her friend, who was already with her full rappel equipment.

"You know I don't do it for the view." Johanna tightened the knot around her waist and between her legs. "I do it from the adrenaline!" Without further words, the taller woman headed for the cliff, and a moment before she jumped, Katniss noticed the well done knot on a pin that would prevent Johanna from committing suicide.

Peeta couldn't think about moving any time soon. He also wanted to spend some time alone with Katniss in a desert viewpoint that is just accessible by climbing.

"Thank you for coming. I always think you are going to freak out when I ask you to do this kind of... intense stuff." Katniss took off her hat to undo her braid, guarding the camera back on her backpack before doing so.

"I like it when you ask me. It makes me feel important to you."

"So why don't you ask me to cook anymore?" she inquired playfully as she just fixed her braid.

"Well..." He crawled besides her, resting his head on her thigh. "I thought that maybe I liked my kitchen the way it is, and not burned down."

"Shut up." She faked a punch on his shoulder.

They stood there for more half an hour, enough for Katniss to take a few more pictures, and for Peeta's heart beat to slow down at the regular level.

"Ready?" she asked while he adjusted the rope around his waist and torso, but letting for more experienced hands to tie the knot on the base pin.

"Sure." Peeta stretched his legs, and silently prayed to do this right and not end up in the hospital. Or the mortuary.

"I'll go first and you just follow my moves, okay? It's easy, just let the gravity do its work."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

She laughed before disappearing in the cliff in front of him. Peeta kneeled and looked down, doing his best to study the movements he'd have to mimic.

His sight blurred a little when he realized he was thirty feet high, and there was no other way to go down, except for the monkey movements his girlfriend was managing to do against the rock. His palms were sweating as he locked the climbing hook connected to the pulley on the pin next to him.

Maybe it was a bad idea.

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**Author's Note: **You can find the challenge prompt at the Project Team Beta website.

Special thanks to the betareaders: **Hobbit4Lyfe**,** PaigetheMelloHippo **and **jg13145**.


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